1960s Make Up Tutorial

Posted by laura on January 23 2014.

Steph has very kindly written us this article on how to achieve a 1960s make up look, Twiggy inspired look. I am always so inspired by make-up artists, mainly because I am so useless with my own! Stephanie has been working with Polestars since last summer for our makeover and photo shoots in London and her work never fails to impress. The 1960s has always been a fascination of mine, primarily because its fashion has always made reappearance in every decade since! Take a look at our Vintage Photoshoot parities if you’d like to get your hens involved. I will most definitely be trying out some of Stephanie’s tips soon!

With icons such as Twiggy, Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Hepburn it’s no wonder 1960s was such a popular era for style, fashion and makeup. Although the 60s has long passed, the trends and looks started from that era live on, and are used so often nowadays.

The 1960s was a time of transition, as the 1950s came to an end makeup started to change from the classic looks that women had been wearing. Although initially there was a continuation of the 1950s makeup, with a flicked line on the eyes and bright red hues on the lips, small changes started to come through. Lips went from bright shades to very muted and nude and eyes began to be played up far more than you would have seen in the previous era. Soon changes became very clear and different styles emerged.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can recreate a very wearable classic 1960s look yourself

1. 1960s make up Prep

Start off by applying foundation, the 1960’s make up was all about a flawless mattified complexion, so stick to matte foundation and set with a translucent powder to make sure your face is free from any shine.

Tip: Alternatively if you want to go for a more modern edge on this look use a sheer dewy finish foundation, I would recommend M.A.C Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation applied with a flat foundation brush.

2. 1960s Make Up Eyeshadow

Apply a generous amount of white matte eyeshadow with a large eyeshadow brush, all the way up to your socket line. Then apply a light sweep going from your socket line up to your brow bone, keeping this fairly sheer.

Tip: If you want to make your 1960s make up look have a modern twist use a matte shade of white or a matte nude a shade or two lighter than your skin tone.

3. 1960s Make Up Dramatic eye crease

Now apply a line of matte black eyeshadow just in the crease of your eyelid, bringing it all the way across, using a very small tapered socket eyeshadow brush. Next blend the line slightly, keeping it even all the way across.

Tip: Just to get an idea of the shape through the eye socket use a lighter grey eyeshadow first and blend this into your socket line where you will be putting the black over. This will help you to see the shape of where your black shadow will need to go and helps to avoids making any mistakes.

4. 1960s Make Up Upper Eyeliner

This is the most important detail of recreating this look, as the liner really brings this look together. The best eyeliner for this is a liquid liner or a gel liner such a M.A.C Blacktrack applied with a brush. Dip a small liner brush into a pot of liner, making sure to cover the brush thoroughly but evenly. Draw a thick line along on your top lash line, starting off thinner at the inner corner if your eye and gradually getting thicker, keeping as close to your lash line as possible and flick it out very slightly at the end.

Tip: Make sure your line is precise, I would recommend using a small liner brush or an angled eyebrow brush to get the most accurate line. Fix any mistakes with a cotton bud and some cleanser or concealer.

5. 1960s Make Up Lower eye

Bottom eyelashes were drawn in, so take your black gel or liquid liner and a small precise brush. Draw six or seven small lashes downward from the bottom lash line, then repeat on the other eye, taking care to make sure they look identical. Next apply a small amount of mascara to the bottom lashes

Tip: For a less dramatic, more everyday look, skip this step and just use some mascara on bottom lashes. Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara is very good for this as it volumises lashes while keeping them separated.

6. 1960s Make Up Lower eyeliner

Next line your lower waterline with white kohl eyeliner. This brightens eyes and makes them look larger.

7. 1960s Make Up Eyelashes

Add a couple of layers of black mascara, M.A.C Zoomlash mascara works very well for this and then add a strip of false lashes to each eye. Pick lashes that are quite fine and a length that accentuates the outer corner of the eye.

8. 1960s Make Up Brows

Fill in brows using an angled eyebrow brush and a matte eye shadow a shade darker than your natural brows, and then gently brush eyebrows through with a brow comb.

TIP: To avoid any harsh lines and to keep brows looking natural make sure to not pick up too much product on your brush and by tapping your brush on your wrist to get rid of any excess. If eyebrows look too harsh lightly sweep over them with a cotton bud, this gets rid of any excess product and softens any harsh patches.

9. 1960s Make Up Blush

For blush,matte peach shades work great, such as M.A.C Melba. Apply the blush to the contour of your cheeks, right under your cheekbone to add shape to your face.

10. Lips

Choose a nude lipstick with a matte finish, such as M.A.C Honeylove or Creme D’Nude depending on your skin tone and apply with a lipbrush or straight from the bullet.

Tip: To make your lips look fuller and more defined, first trace the outline of your lips with a nude lip liner. For an even fuller looking mouth you can even go slightly over your natural lipline. A great lipliner for this is Chanel LE CRAYON LÈVRES Precision Lip Definer in Beige 36.